1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pattern generating method, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a computer program product.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to the microminiaturization of semiconductor devices in recent years, defects due to manufacturing fluctuation, particles, and the like increase to make it extremely difficult to improve yield. As a method of microminiaturizing semiconductor devices, for example, there are a method of reducing wavelength of a light source (an exposure beam) and a method of increasing a numerical aperture (NA) of a lens. However, the method of reducing wavelength of a light source, the method of increasing a numerical aperture of a lens, and the like cannot meet the request for microminiaturization of semiconductor devices that advances with increasing speed.
According to the request for microminiaturization of semiconductor devices, for example, there is a demand for formation of patterns having a pattern pitch finer than a minimum pattern pitch that can be formed by the usual lithography technology. As one of methods of forming such a fine pattern, a pattern forming technology by a so-called sidewall formation process is known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-55908).
In a process that undergoes processing steps many times from lithography to final circuit pattern formation like the sidewall formation process, it is likely that a resist pattern formed by the lithography changes to a risk point (a section where a pattern formation failure occurs) through the processing process even if no problem is found in lithography verification. It is also likely that a new risk point occurs because of processing fluctuation during mass production.